Rugby...the New Zealanders Sport

The "See you tonight!" bit when Dave dropped us off was an excited one. Last night would be the night that we would get to experience a part of the New Zealand culture: rugby. Coming from the states, seven out of the eight of us had no idea how the sport was played, how long the game was, what teams were good, and why everybody gave such a hoot about it. So, after cleaning up and wearing jeans for the first time in a week [not to mention wearing not one of the same three outfits for the first time this week] we headed next door to Monteiths, a tavern/restaurant that the locals congregated at on nights like these.

There was a big match going on, between the Chiefs and the Hurricanes, both north island teams. But this night wasn't just about rugby at the tavern. It was about experiencing another piece of NZ. Old friends gathered to share a bite to eat as kids played fooseball in the corner as their parents watched between them and the rugby game on the flat screen. Supposedly there are only a handful of channels here, so getting the chance to watch a countrywide televised rugby game on flat screen was a nice retreat for them.

It was a nice retreat for us too though. After a week of hard work, it was nice for the eight of us [who have all become great friends in just a week] to gather with Sam, Dave, and Kristina as kind of a celebration for a job well done this week. After two forty-minute halves, Chiefs win! And with that we were relaxed and ready for our big day tomorrow.